Risks and drivers of hybrid car adoption: A cross-cultural segmentation analysis

Throughout the developed world, consumers are increasingly being encouraged to adopt cleaner, \nmore eco-friendly behaviours. However, hybrid car adoption remains low, which impedes the move \ntowards a lower carbon economy. In this paper, we examine the risks and drivers of hybrid car \npurchases, drawing on consumer behaviour and cultural dimensions theory to account for the \nheterogeneous, segmented nature of the market. As risk perceptions differ across cultures, and in \norder to address the lack of cross cultural research on eco-friendly cars, we focus on Australian, \nSouth Korean, and Japanese consumers. Based on a survey of 817 respondents we examine how five \ntypes of risk (social, psychological, time, financial, and network externalities) and three factors that \ndrive purchasing behaviour (product advantages, product attractiveness, and product superiority) \ninfluence consumers perceptions of hybrid cars. Four segments of consumers are identified \n(pessimists, realists, optimists, and casualists) that also vary according to their environmental selfimage, \nand underlying cultural values. Our results extend theory by incorporating self-image and \ncultural dimension theories into a multi-country analysis of the risks and drivers of hybrid car \nadoption. Our findings have practical implications in terms of marketing strategies and potential \npolicy interventions aimed at mitigating risk perceptions and promoting the factors that drive hybrid \ncar adoption.